fuck i wish i could've seen Edguy when Hellfire Club was fresh and new. That's my favorite album from them, and there'd be none of the Rocket Ride stuff, which isn't a bad album I just prefer Hellfire a million times more!

==============================================This was originally posted at the Iron Maiden Bulletin Board on September 26th, 2004. Sorry, I'm too lazy to look up the link.
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Motorhead Jeff and I crawled into Hollywood last Sunday to meet up with Snakecharmer at the Key Club to see the only West coast concert by EDGUY. Tazumal and Resistance provided support.

Tazumal is a Hispanic death metal band. I have a hard enough time understanding the growlers when they do their thing in English; I didn’t have a chance in hell with a guy doing it in Spanish. Our resident Dean of Black Metal, Snakecharmer, helped me out a couple times with the song titles: 666 Smiles Across The Border and another one that was "something about corpses." Snakecharmer hated them. I thought they were ok and a novelty. We both agreed they had no business opening for Edguy Remember how Arch Enemy fit with Maiden at DoD? That's Tazumal to Edguy.

Resistance was a total buzzkill for me. They took an eternity to set up a massive drum kit; their transition was longer than any act I’ve seen this year. I am always hesitant to really lay into a band because quite frankly they’re at least trying and doing something most of us are not. I’ll leave my thoughts on Resistance at that and simply move on.

My first exposure to Edguy was on this board about two weeks ago.. I wasn't sure what to expect and really didn't know much about them beyond the fact that I really liked Hellfire Club. It's a great power metal album. Go buy it.

Edguy roared out in Slayer style -- no stage gimmicks and not even a banner with their name on it. You know a band is good when they don't need any stupid tricks to rile up the crowd. And let me tell you, the crowd was fucking comatose after the support acts. Edguy had their work cut out and they lit up everyone by the end of the first song. At the beginning of their set, I was thinking more about getting home than enjoying their music. At the end of the concert and on the walk to the car, I had that stupid shit grin we all have after a fucking great gig.

Tobias Sammet is the best young guy lead I've ever seen (as opposed to old guy leads like Bruce, Halford, and Ozzy). The guy claimed he was off but I couldn't tell. This dude can sing and has incredible stage presence.

Midway in and between songs, Tobias started to work the crowd – from the the people upfront to some raging fools in the balconies to those of us in the back. I used the interlude to work on my setlist notes… Then I hear… “Are you bored? Aren’t you having a good times?” Tobias caught me hunched over my notes. I lifted my notes for him to see. “Are you a journalist?” I just smiled back. He mumbled something like “oh shit… now you’re going to write up this gay singer.” Later on, we trade another brief smile exchange after some spastic headbanging during “The Piper Never Dies.”

Edguy's metal isn't all about the piss and moaning of the second stage bands at Ozzfest. These guys were smiling and having a great time making their brand of power metal. You get a lot of jokes during their set. Tobias talked about customs at the LA airport…Customs: “Do you have any drugs?” Tobias:”Sure, what do you need?” After a ballad, Tobias said something “Enough of this sissy music, we’re a heavy metal band.” The entire band lifts their arms and flexes, trying to be serious and mean. During some songs, various members of Edguy posed and made goofy faces for the rail denizens who snuck cameras into the venue and wanted to snap pictures. The drummer regularly would slap the side of his head when he was only playing a kick.

I’m giving them 9 Eddies. 10 Eddies represent ANY Maiden concert because Iron Maiden is the standard by which all metal should be judged. In the past, I rated Metallica in the 9 Eddie range. I’m giving Edguy 9 because they did it without pyro or gimmicks. They delivered a post-concert euphoria on the strength of their music and charisma. I liked what Edguy did well enough that I ordered their catalog off Amazon including an EP. At least three of us are planning to trek from California to Dudley, UK for Blaze’s Big Bash in December… Edguy is playing the Bloodstock X-Mas party the next day at the same venue. I’m fucking pumped. I’ll be ready.

Edguy’s setlist:

Under The Moon
The Navigator
Wake Up The King
Land Of Miracles
Lavatory Love Machine
Vain Glory Opera
(drum solo based on Imperial Theme from Empire Strikes Back)
The Fallen Angels
The Piper Never Dies
King Of Fools
-----------------------
Chalice Of Agony
Tears Of A Mandrake
Out Of Control
ttp://www.metalsetlists.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35[/url][/size]

Looks like an ideal Edguy set for me!
I would love to hear "Piper" live!!!! AND UNDER THE MOON!!! They need to play those again.

One one hand, I agree. However, I don't mind them not making power metal if what they're making is good. Most of Rocket Ride is bad because it's just far too lighthearted and jokey. The songs can't decide whether they are serious or funny. They seemed to correct this a bit with the last album. Tobias Sammet really seems to have found a niche with the melodic metal style of the last Avantasia album and Tinnitus Sanctus.

This being said, Edguy badly need to play something off of Hellfire Club besides the two obligatory tracks which are in fact quite average.

One one hand, I agree. However, I don't mind them not making power metal if what they're making is good. Most of Rocket Ride is bad because it's just far too lighthearted and jokey. The songs can't decide whether they are serious or funny. They seemed to correct this a bit with the last album. Tobias Sammet really seems to have found a niche with the melodic metal style of the last Avantasia album and Tinnitus Sanctus.

This being said, Edguy badly need to play something off of Hellfire Club besides the two obligatory tracks which are in fact quite average.

I liked the comedy on Rocket Ride a lot. It compensated for the missing power metal I love so much.

The last album often sounds like it came straight out of the 80s. That sound itself is not necessarily bad but it's also not the reason I began to listening to Edguy. Tinnitus Sanctus is welcome on my Edguy shuffle but it is clearly my least favorite Edguy album of all time.

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Jaco died for our sins so that modern bass players could be free to play more and be heard.